feel better once I talked to Juliette.
“Hello?”
“Juliette, am I glad to–”
“It’s Emmalyn.”
I stopped, mid-sentence, and changed what I was saying. “Why do you have Juliette’s phone?”
“I’m at the apartment, and it was sitting on the counter. Is she with you?”
An icy hand closed around my heart. “What are you talking about?”
Emmalyn gave an exasperated sigh. “I had some things that needed Juliette’s signature, so I came here. I have an emergency key. Juliette isn’t here, but her phone was on the counter. You called, so I figured I’d waste less time asking you where she was. Except I just wasted a lot of time having to explain all of this to you.”
I ignored her attitude. “Juliette’s not with me. She went...we were at a club last night.”
“Well, I’ll leave the papers here and lock up. Let her know she has to bring them to work tomorrow. And you might want to come home because she probably forgot her keys too. Her purse is on the counter.”
The call ended and I lowered the phone, staring at the screen.
“What’s wrong?” Cross was near me again, but not touching me. He reached for me, but pulled his hand back.
“Juliette’s assistant answered her phone,” I said slowly. “Juliette’s not at the apartment. But she didn’t go home last night. She went to a hotel with a guy.”
“Did she have her phone with her then?”
I nodded.
“Which means she went back to the apartment after the hotel,” he said.
I looked up at him, the fear that rushed through me making my hands shake. “But she’s not there. Her purse and her phone are on the counter, but she’s not in the apartment.”
Where was my sister?
Cross reached out and wrapped his hands around mine, warming my fingers. “We’ll find her.”
“You think someone drugged me.” A sensation of horror filled me. “What if they did the same thing to her? What if that guy she went with did something to her?”
He tightened his grip on my hands, and I fell silent.
“Here’s what we’re going to do,” he said. “I’m going to call the hotel to see if your sister and that guy are still there. You’re going to call the police.”
I nodded.
He raised our hands to his mouth and kissed my fingers. “We will find her, Hanna. I promise you that.”
I didn’t know him.
But I believed him.
I called information to get the number for the police station while Cross called the hotels closest to the club. I knew that most hotels wouldn’t give out the names of their guests, but something about Cross told me that he wouldn’t take no for an answer, and it had little to do with his money. He seemed like the sort of man who always got what he wanted.
I didn’t listen to his conversations though. I had my own phone call to make.
I spoke to an Officer Carter, and managed to keep my voice calm and reasonable as I explained that I was concerned for my sister. Officer Carter was equally calm when she explained that they couldn’t declare Juliette missing yet.
“Why not?” I asked, practically shouting the words. “Her purse, keys and phone are in her apartment, but she isn’t there.”
“I understand that, miss.” Officer Carter almost sounded bored, like she’d had this conversation a hundred times before. “But your sister is an adult of sound mind, correct?”
“Yes, but–”
She cut me off. “And there’s no evidence of foul play, correct?”
“I don’t know.” I was starting to get annoyed. “I’m not at her apartment.”
“Unless there is clear evidence of foul play, an adult of sound mind can’t be declared missing just because she didn’t call.”
I gritted my teeth and tried not to curse at her. “So what am I supposed to do?”
A sigh came over the phone, as if my question was requiring some sort of big sacrifice on her part. “I’d recommend going over to her apartment with your keys, if you have them. She’s probably locked herself out and can’t get ahold of
“Hello?”
“Juliette, am I glad to–”
“It’s Emmalyn.”
I stopped, mid-sentence, and changed what I was saying. “Why do you have Juliette’s phone?”
“I’m at the apartment, and it was sitting on the counter. Is she with you?”
An icy hand closed around my heart. “What are you talking about?”
Emmalyn gave an exasperated sigh. “I had some things that needed Juliette’s signature, so I came here. I have an emergency key. Juliette isn’t here, but her phone was on the counter. You called, so I figured I’d waste less time asking you where she was. Except I just wasted a lot of time having to explain all of this to you.”
I ignored her attitude. “Juliette’s not with me. She went...we were at a club last night.”
“Well, I’ll leave the papers here and lock up. Let her know she has to bring them to work tomorrow. And you might want to come home because she probably forgot her keys too. Her purse is on the counter.”
The call ended and I lowered the phone, staring at the screen.
“What’s wrong?” Cross was near me again, but not touching me. He reached for me, but pulled his hand back.
“Juliette’s assistant answered her phone,” I said slowly. “Juliette’s not at the apartment. But she didn’t go home last night. She went to a hotel with a guy.”
“Did she have her phone with her then?”
I nodded.
“Which means she went back to the apartment after the hotel,” he said.
I looked up at him, the fear that rushed through me making my hands shake. “But she’s not there. Her purse and her phone are on the counter, but she’s not in the apartment.”
Where was my sister?
Cross reached out and wrapped his hands around mine, warming my fingers. “We’ll find her.”
“You think someone drugged me.” A sensation of horror filled me. “What if they did the same thing to her? What if that guy she went with did something to her?”
He tightened his grip on my hands, and I fell silent.
“Here’s what we’re going to do,” he said. “I’m going to call the hotel to see if your sister and that guy are still there. You’re going to call the police.”
I nodded.
He raised our hands to his mouth and kissed my fingers. “We will find her, Hanna. I promise you that.”
I didn’t know him.
But I believed him.
I called information to get the number for the police station while Cross called the hotels closest to the club. I knew that most hotels wouldn’t give out the names of their guests, but something about Cross told me that he wouldn’t take no for an answer, and it had little to do with his money. He seemed like the sort of man who always got what he wanted.
I didn’t listen to his conversations though. I had my own phone call to make.
I spoke to an Officer Carter, and managed to keep my voice calm and reasonable as I explained that I was concerned for my sister. Officer Carter was equally calm when she explained that they couldn’t declare Juliette missing yet.
“Why not?” I asked, practically shouting the words. “Her purse, keys and phone are in her apartment, but she isn’t there.”
“I understand that, miss.” Officer Carter almost sounded bored, like she’d had this conversation a hundred times before. “But your sister is an adult of sound mind, correct?”
“Yes, but–”
She cut me off. “And there’s no evidence of foul play, correct?”
“I don’t know.” I was starting to get annoyed. “I’m not at her apartment.”
“Unless there is clear evidence of foul play, an adult of sound mind can’t be declared missing just because she didn’t call.”
I gritted my teeth and tried not to curse at her. “So what am I supposed to do?”
A sigh came over the phone, as if my question was requiring some sort of big sacrifice on her part. “I’d recommend going over to her apartment with your keys, if you have them. She’s probably locked herself out and can’t get ahold of
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